A chance to shine

Siskiyou County is home to a diverse community of amateur musicians, and now a new musical event will provide a showcase for some of that local talent.

John Bowman

Siskiyou County is home to a diverse community of amateur musicians, and now a new musical event will provide a showcase for some of that local talent.

The Scott Valley Songwriter Festival – sponsored by the Siskiyou Arts Council and the Scott Valley Theatre Company – will take place on Saturday, May 11 at the historic Avery Theatre in Etna beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets will be $8 in advance and $10 at the door.

The songwriters festival is made possible through a Creating Public Value Grant administered by the California Arts Council. The grant facilitated the Siskiyou Arts Council's Arts Ambassadors program which has appointed arts ambassadors for various regions throughout Siskiyou County.

Musician Greg Lindholm is arts ambassador for Scott Valley and member of the Scott Valley Theatre Company Board of Directors. He and the theatre company are partnering with the Siskiyou Arts Council to organize and produce the songwriters festival as a way to showcase original Siskiyou County music.

Lindholm said the festival is mainly the brainchild of Siskiyou Arts Council Executive Director Paula Reynolds. "She first approached me about being the Scott Valley Arts Ambassador and once I had agreed to that, she told me she had this idea about putting on an event to showcase local musicians," Lindholm explained.

"There are so many great musicians out there who are so talented at the art of song craft," Lindholm said. "Many of them live way out in the mountains or in some remote area and you never hear about them or they just haven't had the right opportunity to perform for the right audience. But they're great."

He said the eventual goal is to make the event an annual, multi-day festival that not only gives local musicians the exposure they deserve but will also include workshops and other group activities where songwriters can share their skills with each other. For now, the organizers are planning for a one-day event, but Lindholm said he's waiting to see how many musicians audition for the festival before making a final decision on the size of the event.

There will be two dates for auditions for the Scott Valley Songwriters Festival. South county auditions will be held on April 19 at Lalo's Restaurant, 520 N. Mount Shasta Blvd., Mount Shasta beginning at 6 p.m. North county auditions will be held on April 20 at St. Mark's Preservation Square, 304 Lane St., Yreka beginning at 12 p.m.

All genres of music are welcome but all songs must be original compositions written by the performers.

For more information, call the Siskiyou Arts Council at 938-0130 or to register online for auditions, go to siskiyouartscouncil.org/sv-songwriter-registration.